# Western Washington University

Public college in Bellingham, WA. IPEDS ID 237011.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/western-washington-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/western-washington-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 93% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $21,193 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 65%; beats 82% of WA colleges and 69% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $62,569; beats 78% of WA colleges and 75% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $13,500

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $12,915 |
| 30-48k | $14,147 |
| 48-75k | $17,539 |
| 75-110k | $24,301 |
| 110k+ | $27,984 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.43 years on average (42% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $62,569 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $40,219 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in WA (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $12,915 | $57,213 | 2.6 years |
| 30-48k | $14,147 | $62,671 | 2.8 years |
| 48-75k | $17,539 | $77,698 | 3.5 years |
| 75-110k | $24,301 | $107,653 | 4.8 years |
| 110k+ | $27,984 | $123,969 | 5.5 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $30,359 in-state; about $49,484 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $9,582 in-state, $28,707 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $14,915; books: $1,176

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 590–710; SAT math: 560–680; ACT: 24–31 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 14,243 applicants, 13,005 admitted, 3,184 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 93%, ACT 24–31 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 91%, ACT 23–29 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (97 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $68,219 | $110,138 | $19,333 |
| Electrical Engineering | $77,516 | $107,131 | $25,500 |
| Nursing | $80,808 | $96,695 | $20,146 |
| Polymer / Plastics Engineering | $60,375 | $92,439 | $21,656 |
| Manufacturing Engineering | $65,863 | $85,314 | $21,425 |
| Accounting | $60,048 | $82,246 | $20,567 |
| Management Information Systems | $61,668 | $81,678 | $22,333 |
| Biochemistry | $42,025 | $77,048 | $20,942 |
| Finance | $51,984 | $75,730 | $20,610 |
| Business Administration | $53,402 | $71,886 | $17,375 |
| Sustainability Studies | $41,600 | $70,793 | $19,086 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $31,078 | $69,715 | $20,000 |
| Marketing | $43,375 | $69,323 | $17,498 |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | $68,359 | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | $36,802 | $67,208 | $26,158 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $26,557 | $65,380 | $19,121 |
| Special Education | $52,912 | $64,780 | $29,284 |
| Economics | $45,401 | $64,123 | $19,000 |
| International Business | $38,412 | $63,923 | $22,250 |
| Physics | not reported | $63,833 | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $42,795 | $63,072 | $26,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $53,133 | $62,500 | $22,000 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $19,512 | $61,802 | $17,500 |
| Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences | $39,225 | $58,622 | $19,500 |
| Journalism | $34,119 | $57,697 | $18,075 |
| Communications | $34,857 | $56,415 | $17,875 |
| Chemistry | $48,527 | $55,793 | $22,104 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | $34,119 | $54,290 | $24,055 |
| Sociology | $33,039 | $54,263 | $20,087 |
| Mathematics | $22,953 | $54,234 | $21,498 |
| Human Services | $39,487 | $53,788 | $20,041 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $30,899 | $53,781 | $20,854 |
| Pre-Med / Pre-Health | $29,238 | $53,428 | $17,854 |
| Psychology | $32,306 | $53,224 | $19,449 |
| Neuroscience | $39,011 | $51,508 | $22,000 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | $27,558 | $50,832 | $17,897 |
| Anthropology | $27,851 | $50,703 | $22,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $29,268 | $50,079 | $19,487 |
| Biology | $33,871 | $50,027 | $17,003 |
| Political Science | $27,217 | $49,640 | $19,431 |
| English | $32,334 | $46,571 | $19,500 |
| History | $25,355 | $46,000 | $17,860 |
| Linguistics | $24,232 | $44,615 | $19,899 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $23,213 | $43,919 | $19,500 |
| Area Studies | $33,103 | $40,623 | $15,655 |
| Theatre | $24,258 | $40,616 | $20,500 |
| Music | $15,834 | $38,858 | $20,055 |
| Writing | $27,116 | $38,460 | $18,064 |
| Archeology | $24,061 | $38,243 | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | $38,163 | not reported |
| Studio Art | $23,102 | $35,161 | $21,246 |
| Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| City / Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Technology | $72,675 | not reported | not reported |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical / Electronic Engineering Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Industrial Production Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies / Technicians | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Family and Consumer Sciences / Human Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Human Development and Family Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Botany / Plant Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Zoology / Animal Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | $33,323 | not reported | $23,040 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | not reported | not reported | $19,574 |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Accounting and Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Marine Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography and Environmental Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Criminology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geography | $29,931 | not reported | $21,500 |
| Urban Studies / Affairs | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Film and Photography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | $46,770 | not reported | not reported |
| Public Health | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Human Resources | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist: median wage $87,270 (Bellingham, WA), $98,300 (WA), $82,220 (U.S.)
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $84,620 (Bellingham, WA), $109,170 (WA), $101,860 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).